1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic component, and, more particularly, to an improved control component such as a counter device.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10 at (1) and (2) shows an electronic counter device 70 as a conventional electronic component, which includes an outer housing 71 and an internal control unit 72. The internal control unit 72 includes a front module 73, a printed circuit board 74, a battery install unit 75, and a terminal block 76 provided with four terminals 77. Lead portions 77a of the terminals 77 are projected forwardly from the terminal block 76 to be connected with the printed circuit board 74. The board 74 on a rear side wall thereof is mounted by a positive pole connection plate 78 and a negative pole connection plate 79 to provide the battery install unit 75 in which a battery 80 is mounted by bringing its positive and negative poles into contact with the positive and negative pole connection plates 78 and 79 respectively.
The front module 73 is provided with a transparent housing member 81, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 82, and a backlight unit 83. The LCD 82 and the backlight unit 83 are put together and housed within the housing member 81. The front module 73 is mounted into the printed circuit board 74 by engaging a hook portion (not shown in the drawings) of the housing member 81 with a peripheral portion of the board 74, and the LCD unit 82 and the backlight unit 83 are electrically connected with the board 74 to provide the control unit 72 housed within the outer housing 71.
The conventional counter device 70 has the construction that the printed circuit board 74 is connected with the lead portions 77a of the four terminals 77 disposed in the terminal 76, and the positive and negative pole plates 78 and 79 are mounted on the rear wall of the printed circuit board 74 to provide the battery install unit 75 installed by the battery 80. Accordingly, the device 70 has the disadvantages that the replacement of the battery 80 is not easy, there cannot be ensured any sufficient distance for insulation from the battery 80 to the printed circuit board 74 and the electronic parts on the board 74, and the electronic parts have to be arranged on the board 74 by taking unfavorable space so as to ensure the distance for insulation against the battery 80.
A front section of the internal control unit is constituted with the front module 73 in which the LCD 82 and the backlight unit 83 are put together and housed within the housing member 81, resulting in the increase of the number of parts, taking unfavorably long time in its assembly process, and the increase of the manufacturing cost.
It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide an electronic component in which the arrangement of electronic parts on a printed circuit board for ensuring the insulation distance against a battery is not required, flexible design is accommodated by enlargement of use area on the printed circuit board, any front module is not necessary, the number of parts is reduced, the time for assembling is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.
According to a first aspect of this invention, there is provided an electronic component having an outer housing and a control unit inserted within the outer housing, and the control unit includes a base, a printed circuit board mounted on the base, a battery holder mounted on the base for removably holding a coin-shaped battery and provided with terminals connected to the printed circuit board for connection with positive and negative poles of the battery, a liquid crystal display mounted on the base and connected with the printed circuit board, and a backlight mounted on the base and connected with the printed circuit board. The base is provided with the printed circuit board and the battery holder for holding the battery, whereby the battery may be easily replaced and the insulation distance between the battery and the electronic parts on the printed circuit board is sufficiently ensured, the arrangement of electronic parts to ensure the sufficient insulation distance from the battery is not required on the printed circuit board, and any broad space is not necessary in the arrangement of the electronic parts. Thus, the degree of freedom in designing is increased by expansion of use area on the printed circuit board. The installation of the LCD and the backlight unit into the base may omit any front module, and decrease the number of parts, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost without wasting time in the assembly process.
According to a second aspect of this invention, the electronic component of the first aspect is so modified that the base is provided with a base portion and a terminal block, and the base portion includes a battery holder mount portion for mounting the battery holder, a board mount portion for mounting the printed circuit board, a LCD mount portion for mounting the LCD, and a backlight mount portion for mounting the backlight. The modified electronic component according to the second aspect may have same functions and effects as those of the first aspect. Moreover, the battery holder is mounted on the battery holder portion, the printed circuit board is mounted on the board mount portion, the LCD is mounted on the LCD mount portion and the backlight is mounted on the backlight mount portion, whereby the base may be mounted by the battery holder, the printed circuit board, the LCD and the backlight. The terminal block disposed on the base may reduce the number of parts, resulting in the manufacturing cost reduction without wasting time in the assembly process.
According to a third aspect of this invention, a battery reverse insertion preventing means is provided on the battery holder of the electronic component of the first or second aspect of the invention, whereby same functions and effects as those of the electronic component of the first aspect may be obtained and the reverse insertion as to positive and negative poles of the battery may be prevented.
According to a fourth aspect of this invention, the above-described electronic components are so modified that the battery holder includes a battery accommodation portion and a battery insertion opening at one side of the battery accommodation portion at a right angle to a display direction of the LCD, whereby the installation-and-draw of the battery into and from the battery accommodation portion is eased without hindrance by the LCD.
According to a fifth aspect of this invention, there is provided a control component according to the third aspect of the invention in which the battery reverse insertion preventing means includes a lower and upper guide portions disposed on an inner surface of a stand wall of the battery accommodation portion, a first slide contact point bringing a lower wall of the battery into slidable contact with the lower guide portion, a second slide contact point bringing a peripheral of the lower wall of the battery into a bottom wall of the battery accommodation portion, and a third slide contact point bringing an upper wall of the battery into contact with the upper guide portion so that the reversal insertion can be prevented by the relationship of the interval between the first and second slide contact points and the third slide contact point. According to this electronic component of the fifth aspect, in addition to the functions and effects of the electronic component of the first aspect, the battery may be accommodated into the battery accommodation portion as the battery is slantingly inserted between the upper and lower guide portions through the battery insertion opening of the battery holder by lowering a negative pole wall of the battery to bring the negative pole wall into slidable contact with the lower guide portion and the positive pole wall into slidable contact with the upper guide portion so as to bring a peripheral of the lower wall of the battery, viz., a step formed by the negative pole wall and a peripheral of the lower wall, into contact with the bottom portion of the battery accommodation portion. When the battery is drawn from the battery accommodation portion, its reverse manner is executed. Thus, the reverse insertion by the battery is prevented, and the replacement of the battery is eased.
The above-mentioned electronic components may employ a display including a switch portion, and a switch construction including at least two switch conductive patterns connected with the printed circuit board on a front wall of the display which serves as an electric contact portion associated with a switch actuator in the switch portion.
Alternatively, the above above-mentioned electronic components may employ a display including a switch portion, and a switch construction having a switch conductive pattern which is disposed on a front wall of the display connected with the printed circuit board through a flexible wiring plate and connected with at least two wiring patterns of the flexible wiring plate, in which the switch conductive pattern serves as an electric contact portion associated with a switch actuator in the switch portion.
Moreover, the switch construction may be so constructed that a plurality of electrode terminal portions, at least two conductive patterns and a switch conductive pattern conductive with the conductive patterns are formed near a peripheral of a front wall of the display, and one end of the flexible wiring plate is bonded with the peripheral of the front wall of the display to connect the plurality of wiring patterns of the flexible wiring plate with the plurality of electrode terminal portions and connect at least two of the wiring patterns with the conductive patterns.